Published 8:00 pm, Tuesday, August 4, 2009

NORWALK

By ROBERT KOCH

Hour Staff Writer

With municipal elections three months away, representatives of the State Elections Enforcement Commission came to Norwalk City Hall on Tuesday night to give candidates, treasurers and campaign managers an overview of municipal campaign finance laws.

"The purpose of the presentation today is to give you a broad overview of the law," said Andrew Cascudo, elections officer with the SEEC.

First of all, candidates must register themselves and publicly disclose how their campaign is funded - even if it is self-funded. Candidates have 10 days to register their candidate committees after becoming a candidate, he said.

Only campaign treasurers and deputy treasurers can handle money related to a campaign. Candidates can be neither, according to Cascudo.

Andrew S. Garfunkel, Norwalk town clerk, said candidates from nearly a dozen municipalities attended the seminar, which overall attracted about 60 people to the Community Room of City Hall.

Cascudo walked candidates and treasurers through the various forms, such as SEEC Form 20, which is required for campaign committees that receive or spend more than $1,000.

"A contribution is anything of value," Foley said. "If it's valuable to you and your campaign, it's a contribution. A discount, for instance, is a contribution."

Contributions of $50 or more must be listed and itemized. That includes food and other in-kind contributions.

"If you get $50 worth of pizza from anybody, it's just like $50," Foley said.

Candidates must disclose whether a contributor is a lobbyist or related to a lobbyist.

Generally speaking, business entities or labor unions cannot contribute to candidate committees. Such entities, however, can form political action committees, otherwise known as PAC's, according to Foley.

A number of candidates and persons close to campaigns attended the seminar.

"The state legislature comes out with new laws all the time," Norwalk Republican Town Committee Chairman Art Scialabba told The Hour. "So it's good to stay current and not get caught up in something that could lead to a fine or penalty."

Steven A. Serasis, the District A Democrat running for mayor in Norwalk, said he attended a similar seminar while running for the council two years ago.

"I just need a refresher course," Serasis told The Hour. "This year, I'm running for mayor, and I want to be well-versed on the rules for fundraising."